Mindful Monday: Glasses!

It's a challenge for me. I've never worn glasses and probably won't for many more years (Thanks MOM!). Glasses aren't really part of my reality. But Brother-Bug does, and has for two years. This kid has been in glasses since he was two and a half. You'd think I'd be used to it by now.

But no.

I often make it to lunchtime before I realize his face looks strangely naked. This is not good for his eyes. So this Mindful Monday is all about him. And getting those glasses on his face even more consistently.

• WHO: Brother-Bug and me, possibly with Papa-Bug's help.
• WHAT: Glasses on first thing - even before breakfast.
• WHY: Because they are his glasses and he needs to wear them and DUH.
• HOW: Before I serve him breakfast I will get his glasses, or have him get them while I prepare breakfast. We will talk about how it really should be the first thing HE does when he wakes up. 

That's it - short and sweet. I think I can do that.

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In other news, everything except the washing hands continues in a lovely and productive fashion. The clean hands continue to thwart me, but I continue to try and improve this habit. I just painted the bathroom (which needed it desperately) and I hope that such a clean and lovely space will help inspire me to clean and lovely hands.

I hope.

Book Review: The Mother Dance

I'm going through a reading kick that involves lots of parenting books. My parenting style feels like it has been falling apart or re-inventing itself. I have several books I am going to write about here, but we will start with the first one that came on on reserve from the library.

The Mother Dance

By Harriet Lerner, Ph.D.

This book was interesting. A little toward the self-help side of things for my taste. But definitely thoughtful and well put-together. I would give this one three out of five stars.

I loved this quote from the book:

"To opt for kids is to opt for chaos, complexity, turbulence, and truth. Kids will make you love them in a way you never thought possible. The will also confront you with all the painful and unsavory emotions that humans put so much energy into trying to avoid. Children will teach you about yourself and about what it's like not to be up to the demands of the most important responsibility you'll ever have. They'll teach you that you are capable of deep compassion, and also that you are definitely no the nice, calm, competent, clear-thinking, highly evolved person you fancied yourself to be before you became a mother." 

That was right at the end. It sums up so much truth of parenting - be you mother of father.

To be honest, I finished this book about a month ago and so am missing some of the details. It is back at the library, so I can't look back for a refresher. But it was a good book, and worth my reading time. It was certainly (as the Library Reserve Faerys seemed to know) a good place to start on my current parenting reading quest.

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I just love library reserve programs! I get the books I want without having to drag my tired and loud children into the adult floors of the library. What a blessing!

Math Beans

Here in homeschooling land we look for different ways to play and learn, so as to engage as many part of our brains as possible. For math, we really like the skill building over at IXL, as well as cooking, helping with shopping, general counting, and other similar tasks. This week I also made a Math Bean Game, with the help of a few beans and 2 egg cartons. It is basic, almost free, and nicely hands-on for a little person.

(You can click on the picture to get a clearer shot of our game.)

With a marker, write the numbers 1-12 in the first egg carton. Then 1-6 on each side of the second egg carton. In the second carton put the correct number of beans in each side, using two different kinds of beans (we used pintos and garbanzos, but you could also use 2 colors of beads, or marbles, or what ever). That's it. Now play! 

One way to play: take the beans from a #2 slot and put it in the #4 slot. How many of the other kind of bean do you need to make 4? 

Obviously you can do whatever numbers you want to do. You can add, subtract, work forward, work backward... all kinds of math play is possible with this practically free game!

Wordless Wednesday: Donut!!!!!

 

A big shout out to Master Donuts (located on Mohawk and Centennial) because the donuts are good and the lady who works there is awesome. 

Recipe: Carrot-Raisin Salad

This is about the easiest potluck or quick side-dish I know. It's something I grew up with and falls into the category of my comfort food. If this takes more than 10 minutes - even with hand grating the carrot - you are doing something else.

Grate up about 4-6 carrots into a bowl. Add about a  half cup or so of raisins. Start with a few and you can always increase. Spoon about a third cup of mayonnaise into the bowl and mix it all up. Add some more mayonnaise if necessary - you want it to lightly coat all the carrots and raisins. 

That's it. Seriously. And kids LOVE it. It's also a good side dish when you have a green-vegetable dense main course.

Mindful Monday Redux

Boy. Last week's Mindful Monday Intention really nailed me. The previous weeks I was able to work the new thing into routine easily - probably because it was one static thing each day to remember. This whole washing hands thing is more complicated because I have to remember multiple times each day, and remember to remind Brother-Bug to wash his hands.

So we're going to have a re-do on this one instead of adding a new intention this week. We are sill going for Clean Hands. We'll get it.


The positive from it: I did get everything in place to make this work - helpful poster in the bathroom, full and working soap dispensers, and soon-to-be-filled hand sanitizer dispensers. Now we just need to use them!

Here are the details from last week's post, lest we forget. I have made a few edits for the new and improved hand washing week!

• WHO: Me and the kids (Papa-Bug can play too, if he wants to).
• WHAT: Always washing hands before eating/cooking.
• WHY: Because I know that we should but it's something I never have really enforced. Frankly, it's something I am lazy about (likely because it's not something my mom ever enforced). I know we will all be healthier for having clean hands. And I want to give my kids these good habits that I didn't get...
• HOW: I will find a hand washing song to sing before each meal to remind us that it is time. I will continue to patiently strive to add this good habit to our days.

This Phone is Smarter Than Me

In a fit of curiosity, I am blogging from our car using my husband's iPhone. I resist these smart phones and yet they seem to have many tools that could be useful. My least favorite part is the touch screen. It feels so... Un-real maybe. And I make so many errors, so frequently, that any iPhone use usually leaves me fuming and helping the kids learn exciting new vocabulary.

Anyway. I am thing of delving into this wacky world of smarter-than-me-phones. This post from the car is a way of dipping my toes into an iPhone, if you will. I hope my husband doesn't mind toe prints.

I contemplate either an iPhone or a Blackberry Torch. All my siblings have iPhones - do I join the pack or be an individual? How do I really feel about this touch screen? Do I really want a smart phone? These are definitely questions I need to answer before I delve - if I delve.

I would be most appreciative of comments and thoughts from iPhone and Blackberry Torch owners.

A Sip of Gold

Last fall, in the excitement of high canning season I tried making some Pear Liqueur. I had grabbed Classic Liqueurs from our local home brew shop and finally had a chance to try it. I made the Golden Pear Liqueur (page 39). With one thing and another, it took me forever to get around to the final step - just straining it a couple of times. I did it, FINALLY, the other day. It took five minutes.

Immediately I was shocked that I had waited SO long to strain this amazing and delectable goodness. I could have been sipping this for the last 5 months! It's sweet. It's syrupy (maybe too syrupy...I need to experiment a little more). It tastes of sun-warmed Bartlet Pears. It's amazing.

I'm going to need to make some more liqueurs. Strawberry? My own amaretto? Milk liqueur? Who knows? It's going to be yet another food making adventure in our home.

Two Conversations with a Four-Year Old

We have an anatomy book in which the different systems are represented by different teams of tiny people working inside the body.

Brother-Bug: Mama, when those little guys are working inside the body, where do they go to the bathroom?
Mama-Bug: Sweetie, those little guys aren't really in your body. It's just imaginary in that book.
Brother-Bug: I KNOW it is imaginary. But where would they go to the bathroom...if we were imagining?
Mama-Bug: I suppose if there are imaginary people inside your body, they must have imaginary bathrooms.

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And with their Grandmommie just back from holiday in Sicily, we were talking about volcanoes and Mount Etna today. A lot.

Brother-Bug: Mama! I think the inside of my nose is turning into a volcano!!
Mama-Bug: What might happen then!?
Brother-Bug: I will have hot lava snot! I might erupt!
Mama-Bug: Well, if that happens take it outside. I don't want volcanic ash all over my living room.
Brother-Bug: Maybe I can erupt by the mail box?

Wordless Wednesday: Spoon-Licking Goodness